Where are the crimes? More area police departments using online mapping tool

GENESEE COUNTY, MI -- A new online crime mapping tool already used by Flint police will now be used in the city of Fenton, said Police Chief Rick Aro.

The department unveiled the website on Wednesday, Aug. 6.

"It's a good way to show that the department is transparent. We're not hiding anything here. These are the crimes that have been committed," he said. "It's a great way to keep residents informed on what's going on around them."

The website, CrimeMapping.com, plots points on an interactive map where crimes have been committed, and different icons denote different types of crime. More than 15 types of crime can be mapped, including homicide, assault, arson and larceny.

Users can modify and filter their search to only include certain types of crimes, or those within a certain radius or time frame.

Actually seeing the crimes mapped out could prompt residents to take measures to protect themselves against crime, Aro said.

"Maybe people already know car larcenies are happening, but when they look on this map, they can see that it might not be happening too far from their homes," he said. "And then they'll realize, 'I better lock my doors,'" he said.

Dozens of other agencies in Michigan already use CrimeMapping.com, including Flint, Detroit, Ann Arbor, Lansing and Grand Rapids, and Aro said many reported success in opening lines of communication between police and the community and preventing crimes.

The map isn't costing the department any time or money, either, Aro said. It's included in the department's membership to Courts and Law Enforcement Management Information System, or CLEMIS.

CLEMIS is an Oakland County-based system that "promotes communication and sharing of criminal justice information" among multiple agencies, according to an Oakland County website. The Omega Group, the company that developed CrimeMapping.com, updates the map every 24 hours using crime reports they have access to through CLEMIS.

"Basically, as a department we just had to make decision to (allow crime mapping)," Aro said. "Then we contacted the company, decide how it's going to be displayed...Then they have a trial period to make sure everything is the way you want it, and then you go live."

The decision came as a result of wanting to communicate with residents and seeing positive results from the tool in other Michigan agencies, Aro said.

"We were discussing different ways to reach out to community," he said. "So, I talked to other chiefs in Michigan who had success with the maps preventing crime keeping community aware of what is going on."

Flint police Chief James Tolbert said his department began using the system in April, and recommends it.

"We love it," he said. "It's a way we can be transparent, because people can go in and look at crime as it's reported. We encourage everybody to use it."

No other local municipality currently uses the system, but Grand Blanc Police Lt. Chris Rhind said it is something his department is looking forward to.

"I think it's the way of the future," he said. "We are definitely interested in it, and we plan to research it in the future. Hopefully it will be a valuable resource for the public."

Aro said he thinks it could help the department as much as it helps residents, too.

"Who knows, maybe we'll even get some tips out of this for the more serious crimes," Aro said. "I'm hoping it'll be kind of a win-win for us and for the community."